catching bees with sweetness, gulf coast, florida

Smiley Honey - Gulf County Florida - Stephanie Arsenault

Well, my friends, if the saying, “you catch more bees with honey” has any truth to it, I guess I’m pretty damn sweet.

Or at least that’s what I told myself while visiting Smiley Honey, in Wewahitchka, Florida, as a bee decided to have her way with my head. I’m happy to admit that I’m terrified of bees – or, more accurately, I’m terrified of getting stung – but my fascination with them outweighs any sort of fear that might prevent me from getting too close. After all, they’re so important in the maintenance and life of our plants, and realistically, we depend on them for survival. I know, it sounds extreme, but trust me. I’m a bee expert*.

Smiley Honey - Gulf County Florida - Stephanie Arsenault

This incident was really more of a wrong place at the wrong time situation. A honeybee landed on my head, got tangled up and stuck in my hair, and then stung me out of pure panic… I, in turn, panicked and tried to remove said bee from my hair. I was unsuccessful. With the assistance of a few others, we removed the bee {and a rather large chunk of my hair} from my scalp, and I was left with an unfortunately situated bald spot, a stinger right in the middle of it, and a big ol’ scab has taken its place since. Yep. I just scream, Southern Belle.

Smiley Honey - Gulf County Florida - Stephanie Arsenault

Contrary to what you’ve been reading so far, this is not all about me and my ugly head {really, I think my scalp just wants some sympathy}. This is about the bees, and the honey, and how incredible the whole apiary world truly is. I mean, honey itself is practically a miracle worker. It’s known to cure or treat an assortment of ailments, it never goes bad {NEVER!}, and holy moly, is that stuff delicious.

Smiley Honey - Gulf County Florida - Stephanie Arsenault

The most incredible part about tasting honey right from where it’s produced is that what you’re tasting is a direct representation of the environment around you. If you have honey that has been made by bees that feed on lavender, it’s going to taste like lavender. If the bees feed on the pollen from orange blossoms, you’re going to get a citrusy, floral flavour.

Smiley Honey - Gulf County Florida - Stephanie Arsenault

The folks at Smiley Honey are best known for their Tulepo Honey {from the bloom of the tulepo tree, which grows along river swamps}, and they’ve been recognized nationwide for its quality. All of their honey is raw and unpasteurized {important factors if you’re looking for the health benefits!}, and tastes completely different from any other honey I’ve tried. That just goes to show, honey is about as local of a product as you’re going to get.

Smiley Honey - Gulf County Florida - Stephanie Arsenault

*Disclaimer: the title of “bee expert” has been given to me by me, and holds no actual credibility. Update: after a brief stint in beekeeping, I have since become severely allergic to bees, further discrediting my expertise.